Justice News

Anchorage, Alaska - U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that a Washington man was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage for advertising child pornography in Alaska.

Matthew Edward Shubart, 33, from Yakima, Washington, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy M. Burgess to 15 years in prison. Judge Burgess also ordered that upon release from prison Shubart will serve a lifetime term of supervised release, with specific conditions to register as a sex offender, to have no unsupervised contact with any person under the age of 18, and to participate in sex offender assessment and treatment.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey Renschen, who prosecuted the case, Shubart used social networking and emails to advertise that he was seeking and offering to exchange, distribute and receive child pornography. Shubart admitted in his plea agreement that in 2012, he socially networked with a group of 109 members of an emailing group who traded child pornography. Shubart further admitted that on January 25, 2012, he emailed seven pictures of child pornography to an Alaska resident. Before sending the images to Alaska, Shubart remarked in his email, “I have some hidden camera pics....got lucky and got a cutie....wanna see? they were done by me, not off the internet....”

Over 800 images of child pornography were found on Shubart’s computer and email account. Several child victims who were identified in those images submitted letters describing the serious harms they had suffered as the result of being sexually exploited. Judge Burgess acknowledged those harms and the seriousness of child pornography crimes when he sentenced Shubart to the 15 year prison sentence and the supervised release for the rest of his life.

Ms. Loeffler commends Homeland Security Investigations for their extensive investigation of this case, and acknowledges the agencies persistent dedication to rescuing child victims from sexual exploitation, and pursuing the sexual predators that harm children.